Warm Hearts
by jesuistigerlily
Summary: Ryoga deserves a lot more love than he receives, so this is for all you Akane/Ryoga shippers out there.
1. Chapter 1

**As much as I'm into the whole Ranma/Akane pairing, I can't help but feel that Ryoga deserves a lot more love than he receives so this is for him. **

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He sat up, not knowing where he was. As usual. He fell back with a thump; feeling the cold night air through a gap in his tent. He muttered in discomfort as he tried to get warm in his lumpy old sleeping bag that gave him back aches worthy of a man twice his age. Coupled with the heartache he felt for a certain blue haired girl, he was truly miserable as he lay in the darkness with her face taking over his dreams.

"My Akane."

After weeks of travelling, he finally arrived in Nerima and laboriously made his way towards the opposite direction of the Tendo house, where he bumped into a wrinkly old prune, decorated with the lace and frills of hastily purloined women's underwear. Seeing as the old pervert bounced gleefully back to where he had come from, the lost boy picked up his pace and followed. He arrived at a familiar doorway and his heart stopped as it opened, revealing a pretty girl in a yellow summer dress; his favourite dress.

"Ryoga-kun! You're home!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. His heart was in his throat, thumping harder than ever as he worked up the nerve to hug her back. "Ryoga baby, I've missed you so much," she smiled up at him warmly, watching his face flush. "I-I'm sorry I took so long," he said quietly. She reached up to wipe a smudge from his cheek and stood on her toes to kiss the same spot. "Welcome home, sweetie."

Fingers locked, Ryoga floated on his personal cloud nine as he followed the girl of his dreams into her kitchen as she sat him down for some tea and cookies. "I wish you wouldn't try to find places without me," she pouted. "You're always losing your way and I don't see you for weeks on end. You sure know how to treat a girl." He put down his tea and apologised again and again, despair creeping into his heart as he fretted over losing his beloved's affections.

She noticed the change in his demeanour and slid into his lap, settling herself comfortably in his arms. "I'm not angry with you, love," she intoned gently while she played with his fingers. "I could never be angry with you." The black haired boy looked at her with worry in his eyes and croaked, "Really?" She nodded before laying her head on his shoulder and inhaled his scent, enjoying his warmth and the precious little time they had together before he inevitably lost his way again.

A wave of happiness washed over him as he felt her breath on his neck. He willed himself to hold her tighter against him, relishing the feel of her soft body and the smell of her strawberry shampoo; a gift that he had sent from his travels.

"My Akane."

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**Comments and reviews are welcome. It's been ages since my last story, so I'm definitely a little rusty.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I think this is going quite well actually. I know Ryoga is being a bit of a wuss and more than a little OOC but I kinda feel like he's the sensitive sort and we all know that losing Akane would probably cause him to jump off of something.**

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He felt a soft rubbing against his neck and looked down to find his beloved Akane with a contented look in her eyes, before those eyes closed and he felt her nuzzling his neck and collar again. He twirled strands of her blue-black hair in his fingers, marvelling at the softness and the pleasure he felt at her ministrations. While she made herself comfortable in his embrace, his thoughts wandered to darker places.

_When did she fall in love with him? Why did she care for him so? Was she nice to him because she felt sorry for him? Did he deserve her love?_

All these self-deprecating thoughts ran through his head as he played back scenes from years ago, when Ranma was still her fiance. Though his curse was now lifted, Ryoga never really recovered from the trauma and the self-esteem problems that came with it. However, his love for Akane never wavered and he always managed to screw up the courage to come back to her. Although this was mostly due to the amount of time he had from accidentally travelling across the country.

"Sweetie?"

Her voice snapped him out of his reverie and he turned to her with a smile; all dark thoughts banished. "Are you alright?" She looked concerned as he nodded his head. "Shall we have some lunch then?" A look of pure terror flashed across his features before his self control took over and he schooled his expression into a mild one, accepting her request for food. She bopped him on the head lightly and stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm not cooking, silly. Don't wanna kill you the moment you get home. I'm hungry for some burgers." He heaved a relieved sigh as she laughed and told him to stay in his seat while she got her purse.

He took the time to look at his surroundings, her home, just as much as his hadn't changed much while he was away on his unintentional adventures. There were a few extra burn marks around the stove but he supposed that was natural, given her lack of talent in the kitchen. Soun had moved in with Kasumi and Dr. Tofu while Nabiki was on a permanent vacation in Europe with Kuno, leaving the house and dojo to Akane's care. Her mother's altar was clean and adorned with fresh flowers, following in Soun's meticulous methods.

Akane bounded into the kitchen and pressed a kiss on the top of his head, catching him by surprise. He stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes but found her frowning at the dust cloud that he'd created. "I-I'm sorry I made a mess, I'll clean it right up," he mumbled as he darted around, looking for a wet rag. She caught him by the hand and tugged on it to get his attention. "Please don't be angry, Akane," his lip quivered. He couldn't bear knowing that she was mad at him, and that it may cause him to lose her due to his faults.

"Ryoga, we need to have a talk."

His world crumbled as the words sunk in. He had heard that people said these words only when they were about to break up with someone and he began to brace himself for the worst. _"What's the worst that could happen? I'll travel the world forever and never come back to Nerima. Yeah. That sounds like a plan, Ryoga. Yeah."_

"Ryoga? Sweetie? Ryoga!" she shouted, shaking him by the shoulders. "What is going on with you? You've barely said a word since you arrived and you're acting weird." She planted her hands on her hips and stared at him, worry creasing her brow. "N-nothing is wrong with me, dear. I'm fine," mumbled the lost boy. She didn't believe a word of it. "We need to have a talk. Let's go upstairs." Ryoga nodded numbly and let himself be led up to their bedroom, Akane's old room, fitted with a large futon to accomodate both of them.

Akane sat down on the unmade futon and patted the space beside her, motioning for him to sit as well. "Our room is a mess. I guess I don't see the need to clean up when you're not home," she laughed lightly. Ryoga nodded but remained silent, a pool of tears welling up inside as he tried to retain his composure. He was sure she was trying to be nice before breaking up with him. He felt a small hand atop his own and turned to her.

"Ryoga, honey. You've bee-"

"I know I'm a mess, Akane. I know. I'm always getting lost, and always disappointing you by being late for dates. The last time we were supposed to watch a movie together, I was a week late. I'm always coming home covered in dirt, and I know women don't like that stuff and I'm sorry." Words tumbled out of his mouth and while Akane wanted to stop him to get a word in, she couldn't help but listen and hope that he would open up completely so she might know his true feelings.

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**Like always, reviews if you have anything to say.**


	3. Chapter 3

His mind flashed back to the time he stuttered whenever she appeared before him. He remembered how his mouth would suddenly be drier than a desert and he would almost choke on his own saliva attempting to form coherent words. Oddly enough, it was in those times that he was grateful Ranma was there to steal the attention away from him. He loved her from afar. And even then, he was content.

He made sure to send her specialties from each region he accidentally stumbled upon as well as feeble attempts to take pictures of himself at tourist attractions which usually only included a part of his bandana or his eye. She received a picture of half a smile featuring only one fang once and laughed for a good five minutes. Ryoga believed that if he tried hard enough, he would manage to win her love, despite knowing that she harboured deep feelings for Ranma. That part he just tried to squash with snack foods in the dead of night.

After their failed wedding, Akane slowly distanced herself from Ranma and his antics; earning herself stellar grades and graduating nearly at the top of her class. Ranma on the other hand dropped out of school due to unspeakable acts of chaos that he and Principal Kuno committed on a regular basis. He retreated to the Tendo household as a true freeloader and eventually got yelled at by Soun's ghostly head, demanding that he contribute to the expenses or leave the house.

Ranma avoided the Nekohanten like the plague, oftentimes spying Shampoo out of the corner of his eye, lurking in her cat form. In these situations, he ran. Fast. Ukyo's was the only place he could think of that would provide him with meals and a job, so there he went, to her pleasure and surprise. She taught him the basics, starting with making batter and learning the order of the toppings. He learned fast, and soon she had a second cook on her hands. When he wasn't busy eating her ingredients, that is.

On one hand, Soun was overjoyed that Ranma was no longer a freeloader or eating him out of house and home. On the other, he was worried that Ranma was no longer around his youngest daughter. Their relationship had sparked very quickly but had fizzled out quietly in the end.

_Who will take over the dojo then? I can't give it to Genma, goodness no. I'd rather commit seppuku in front of my wife's altar than do that._

Before long, Ranma began staying late at the shop and all Soun's hopes for Ranma to return to Akane went down the drain. He sat before his wife's altar and lamented for days on end, causing Kasumi to constantly have a mop and bucket at the ready. During all of this, Genma had surprisingly little to say, spending most of his time as a panda, and occasionally renting himself out to children at the playground. Over time, Soun resigned himself to a fate of an uninherited dojo, consoling himself with the idea that Akane will eventually take over when the time was right - she was too attached to the art to let it go to a stranger.

Akane was out buying herself some snacks when Ryoga lurched back into town, covered in the filth of his travels. He remembered her look of innocent joy as she waved to him from a distance. She wore a blue dress, the colour of the sky that day. He remembered the way his heart struggled to burst open with happiness, seeing the love of his life, radiant with a smile. And it was for him. All for him.


End file.
